A wide variety of inflator assemblies are known in the art. Inflator assemblies are used to rupture a container of fluid under pressure. Inflator assemblies may use a piercing pin to rupture a diaphragm and allow gas, such as CO2, to escape. The inflator can then be used in routing the escaping gas into an inflatable article. Articles such as life preservers and life rafts commonly employ this arrangement. Many inflators are either manually or automatically actuated. Manual inflators allow a user to pull a handle or cable to release an associated pierce pin and begin inflation. Automatic inflators operate in connection with a sensor, such as a water or salinity sensor. These sensors, automatically release the pierce pin upon detecting water. Automatic inflators are preferable because they allow inflation in situations where the user may be unconscious or incapacitated. Manual inflators, on the other hand, are beneficial because they allow users to selectively begin inflation at the discretion of the user.
What is needed, therefore, is an inflator assembly that allows for both manual and automatic inflation. There is also a need for an inflator with both manual and automatic activation where the two activation means do not interfere with one another.